We are holding a workshop to explore the possible impacts of climate change on food safety on Wednesday 2 December 2015. We are pleased to announce that Lord John Krebs (who sits on the UK’s Committee on Climate Change and chairs its Adaptation Sub-Committee) will deliver the keynote address.
About the workshop
It is widely accepted climate change is likely to cause changes in temperature, water availability and weather patterns across the world; these changes will have complex implications for the safety of the food we eat. As part of the FSA's commitment to enabling consumers to have access to an affordable healthy diet, now and in the future, it is important that we consider and prepare for the challenges that climate change may bring.
In the first session of this workshop, we will look in depth at the issue of mycotoxins. Mycotoxins (toxic substances produced by certain fungi that colonise and infect many crops) can have serious effects on human health, and increasing levels of mycotoxins as a result of climate change have already been seen in Europe. We hope that the discussions at the workshop will help us to develop a UK strategy for tackling this issue.
In the second session, we will take a broader look at the many possible impacts climate change may have on food safety. With a combination of talks from experts in the field and a panel discussion, the aim of this session is to help the FSA to arrive at a better understanding of the possible risks we will face in the future, and to begin to prioritise where we should focus our future activities.
There are places available on what promises to be an interesting and stimulating scientific event, and an excellent opportunity to help shape the FSA's policies and plans. Details about how to register are below.
